Former Roosevelt High teacher to appear in court on alleged sex crimes

by Tami Abdollah

Share

A former high school Spanish teacher is scheduled to be arraigned today on six felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with two of her male students, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The incidents allegedly took place in the homes of the students, who were then 16 years old and 17 years old.

Cortez was arrested Feb. 22 by Montebello Police after one of the former students reported the alleged misconduct. She was released the same day after posting $140,000 bail.

Roosevelt High School is one of 22 LAUSD schools that form the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, an effort between the city and district to turn around low-performing schools.

Cortez was put on unpaid administrative leave as of March 15, said LAUSD spokesman Thomas Waldman. She started with the district in 1988 working at Soto Street Elementary School as a teaching assistant. She has taught at Roosevelt High School since 1994, according to district records.

This story has been updated. A previous version of this story said the school was located in Montebello. It is located in East Los Angeles.